Mum says picture of her son at nursery saved his life after camera flash revealed rare disease
A British mum has said she is 'eternally grateful' after a snap of her son at nursery ended up saving his life.
It is the worst nightmare of any parent to see their child go through health struggles. For Laura Davies, it was something as small as a cloudiness in her two-year-old son's eye when it hit the light that first made her suspect something was wrong back in April.
A quick search online didn't tell her much but after Sidney had his photo taken at nursery, it became clear that his left eye was far cloudier than his right.
After a visit to her GP and Specsavers, Sidney was referred to Birmingham Children's Hospital and had an ultrasound, which later led him to being diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer that affects young children.
Advert
Laura, from Mold, Flintshire, said: "His nursery saved his life by taking that photo.
"He was basically sat in his high chair opposite the French doors in our kitchen and my husband was like, 'his eye doesn't look right.'
"It basically looked cloudy.
"It was literally just when he was looking to the left. I've got to be honest I probably wouldn't have noticed it.
"His nursery took a photo of him in the sensory room and that's when it showed it [Sidney's eye] white.
"It was almost like it was reflecting the light, it's really hard to describe. It was like his eye wasn't there, it was like a mirror."
After a discussion with doctors, it was decided that removing the eye was the best plan of action, and the brave boy underwent the surgery on 27 May, with later scans thankfully confirming there was no need for chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Laura added: "He coped with it so well and I think the boys gave me strength as well.
"It was so scary seeing him go for the operations.
"I think we went into mum and dad mode. You kind of just get through it. Afterwards when we found out that he was okay and he didn't need any chemotherapy then it all hit me if I'm honest.
"I burst out crying [when he got the all clear]. It was such a relief."
Sidney is expected to have a prosthetic eye fitted later this month and will have to wear protective goggles when he plays sport, but his family hope that he will remain otherwise unaffected.
Laura said: "It was horrendous. We were so worried, we expected it but you know when you're actually hearing those words it's a different story. It was a lot to take in.
"I was obviously upset about the fact that he needed to have his eye removed. All the thoughts run through your head of how they are going to cope in school and kids are horrible and things like that.
"But I was also looking at it and thinking, 'I just want it out' because you could literally see it."
She continued: "In terms of the effects on him it's been quite minimal because he's already dealt with that himself, not being able to see out of that eye.
"I keep saying to people, 'I would never have known.'
"I've always said he's very careful. He will go down the steps very carefully unlike my other son who is older and who's like a bull at a gate.
"You sort of think back and think, 'maybe that's why?' but he's a happy boy, he showed no signs of this. We didn't notice that he couldn't see out of his eye.
"It's funny because people have said when they see him on the school run and things that he's got a new lease of life.
"I don't know whether it was bothering him before, whether it was blurry. We'll never know really."
A JustGiving page has been set up to support Birmingham Children's Hospital after Sidney's surgery success, and you can donate to it here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
James Moorhouse